Fushimi Momoyama Castle
Fushimi Momoyama Castle
3.5
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Neighborhood: Southern Kyoto
Southern Kyoto has a reserved air. Though the Fushimi Inari Shrine is one of Kyoto's major tourist attractions, the surrounding nature, parks, gardens, temples, and shrines provide less-visited spaces for strolling and reflection. The Fushimi Inari Shrine itself is made up of 32,000 sub-shrines, and the mountain they are dotted across beckons hikers, picnickers, and lovers of the outdoors. Many of the mountain's off-set paths aren't frequented by tourists, and the mountain's serenity can be enjoyed at a leisurely pace. Southern Kyoto is the place to enjoy being outside, and to pay your respects to the ancient architecture and gods of the land that are celebrated here.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
3.5
86 reviews
Excellent
13
Very good
25
Average
36
Poor
10
Terrible
2
Ren
Arkansas75 contributions
Nov 2022 • Solo
The castle looks really good from the outside. Sadly the inside has been closed since 2003. The grounds need to be maintained more but that didn’t ruin a pleasant day trip to see it. If you’re in Kyoto for a week I recommend at least paying this and the Meiji Emperor Mausoleum a visit.
Written November 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mcp49
Philadelphia, PA106 contributions
Sep 2016 • Couples
We went to this castle the same day we went to Fushimi Inari and the sake district, and we absolutely loved this place, it was one of our favorites on the whole trip. It's not the type of place you can walk through the castle or anything, it's definitely off the beaten path and a fairly good walk from the JR train station, but it's worth it. Walking there if you GPS from the JR station will probably take you through some pretty neighborhoods, though there are a lot of hills.
It sort of reminded us of a place that time forgot. Reading reviews, I guess it was once part of a theme park, but it's definitely got a weird, slightly creepy vibe to it, which is only amplified by the absolute quiet of the place; we saw maybe 8 other people the whole time we were there. It's just a nice escape from the crowds.
It sort of reminded us of a place that time forgot. Reading reviews, I guess it was once part of a theme park, but it's definitely got a weird, slightly creepy vibe to it, which is only amplified by the absolute quiet of the place; we saw maybe 8 other people the whole time we were there. It's just a nice escape from the crowds.
Written September 27, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ART196
244 contributions
Nov 2015 • Solo
Is there anything more creepy than an abandoned theme park? I came at dawn, under a clouded sky. An old hunchbacked man was hobbling around in the park, whistling a sombre tune... “Castle Land” was a theme park in Kyoto’s Fushimi Ward but was shut down in 2003. Fushimi Castle was the centre piece of the theme park but now you cannot enter it. It is a 1964 concrete reconstruction of the castle built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1592. It used to host exhibitions of the life and times of Toyotomi. Fushimi-jō was a unique castle, and rather ill-fated. It was outwardly an imposing fort, but the keep was designed inwardly as part of a retirement home for Toyotomi, containing a tearoom coated in goldleaf.
The current incarnation of Fushimi-jō is actually built about 500m away from its original site, which was on top of a hill. Since 1912, that hill now contains the burial mound of the Emperor Meiji. It is Imperial land and as such is barred to the public so you cannot inspect the original site of Fushimi-jō. The castle needs a lick of paint and some fix-up. There are decorations missing (possibly pilfered for scrap) and pigeons have made a mess of sections of the roof. The foreboding of abandon is heavy about Fushimi-jō.
The current incarnation of Fushimi-jō is actually built about 500m away from its original site, which was on top of a hill. Since 1912, that hill now contains the burial mound of the Emperor Meiji. It is Imperial land and as such is barred to the public so you cannot inspect the original site of Fushimi-jō. The castle needs a lick of paint and some fix-up. There are decorations missing (possibly pilfered for scrap) and pigeons have made a mess of sections of the roof. The foreboding of abandon is heavy about Fushimi-jō.
Written April 21, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jabitz
Melbourne, Australia256 contributions
May 2024 • Couples
If you are in Kyoto for a week I would suggest you go check this castle out. It isn't open to go inside as it was closed sometime ago and it isn't an original as it was rebuilt in the 60's for tourists but it gives you a great display of a Japanese Castle. There were very few people there so we were able to take some great photos and also there aren't any modern buildings around it to distract from the charm of the castle itself. You can't get too close as it is roped off in many areas but it's worth a visit if you like castles.
Written June 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Just-Julie-Cairns
Cairns, Australia869 contributions
Jul 2014 • Family
Don't let the fact that this castle is closed to the public put you off of going to see it. It is still spectacular to see from the outside! Fushimi Castle is also known as Momoyama Castle and was originally built as a fortified Palace and retirement home for Toyotomi Hideyoshi, so it's main purpose was not purely defensive. The first Fushimi Castle was destroyed by an earthquake about two years after completion and then rebuilt. The Castle was defended by Torii Mototada and was destroyed again in the famous "eleven day siege" in 1600. It was dismantled in 1623. This castle you see today was built on this site using concrete in 1964 and the Castle was closed to the public in 2003, although I have read that there are plans to reopen it. It was noted for the tea ceremony room that is decorated in gold leaf. You can walk around the grounds and gardens for free and you will also find the "Castle Entertainment Park" nearby. Also within walking distance is the Mausoleum of Emperor Meiji which is actually built on the original site of Fushimi Castle in 1912, right on top of the hill, and worth a visit......and....The Nogi Shrine which is dedicated to Count Nogi Mareske, a general and decorated hero who made the ultimate gesture of loyalty when he and his wife committed ritual suicide straight after the funeral of Emperor Meiji. All this is within a short walk uphill from JR Momoyama station.
Written July 31, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ron S
New York City, NY5,927 contributions
Oct 2013 • Couples
This it a replica of the legendary Fushimi castle held by Torii Mototada and his 400 samurai against an overwhelming force of Ishida Mitsunari long enough to allow Tokugawa to outmaneuver Mitsunari which led to Tokugawa's ultimate victory at Sekigahara. It was reconstructed in the early 60's at a price tag of $6 million, I was told, a huge sum of money at the time, and was intended to be a theme park. After struggling for 40 year the company went bankrupt and shut the doors, to the dismay of castle lovers, as they did a good job reconstructing it to its original splendor featuring a tea ceremony room finished in golden foil, an understandable luxury since the initial version of the casle was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi as his retirement palace. Furthermore, the present building's location in not on the same exact spot where the original castle stood. That lot is used as burial grounds for Emperor Meiji which you can see if you walk about 500 feet back down the road leading to the castle and make a left turn on the path in the park leading right to the burial mound. If you turn right at that paths intersection you will get to the burial of Emperor Kanmu. Both paths marked by wooden poles with writing in Japanese which were read to us by our Japanese friend
Written October 24, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
davehoppy
Perth, Australia98 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
We walked from Momoyama JR station up the hill and through a new path in the middle of the forest for about 15 minutes to this sensational looking castle.
There was only a few people about and this was in Golden week. The colours are outstanding but it has the 2 'towers' and similar looking to Osaka castle but with no one around.
Unfortunately i could not find any English information to give me any information and we could not get close to it for what ever reason. It had a sign that had staff only past the roped off areas.
See it for sure.
There was only a few people about and this was in Golden week. The colours are outstanding but it has the 2 'towers' and similar looking to Osaka castle but with no one around.
Unfortunately i could not find any English information to give me any information and we could not get close to it for what ever reason. It had a sign that had staff only past the roped off areas.
See it for sure.
Written May 11, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NG-Y-MY
KL, Malaysia235 contributions
Jan 2012 • Friends
The castle is big and beautiful. This one's one the normal white ones most castle are.
However, the castle keep is closed to visitors and only the grounds are open (free)
Not many visitors.
It's an uphill walk from the Momoyama train station
However, the castle keep is closed to visitors and only the grounds are open (free)
Not many visitors.
It's an uphill walk from the Momoyama train station
Written January 30, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
László Gábor
Kyoto, Japan78 contributions
Oct 2019
Unfortunately it was really messy. The building is beautiful, but the pond is dried out, the bridge is unstable and the garden is a mess.
Written October 31, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sue S
Sydney, Australia6 contributions
Oct 2019
You could kindly call this place serene if you mean deserted with a Wild West feel (gardens completely overgrown, weeds everywhere). I kept expecting to see a tumbleweed roll by on the path. You cannot get close to the buildings - all access stairs are roped off so all you can see is what is visible above the 4m high walls. Clearly the tour operators know how bad it is as there wasn’t a tour bus to be seen. No storyboards and nothing to warn of any closures online - says it’s open 7am to 5 pm!! The two lady attendants at the gate couldn’t have cared less. Yes the neighbourhood homes on the walk from the station are pretty (deviate off the direct GPS path to find these). Otherwise read up on the history via your favourite google search, enjoy the photos and save yourself the trouble. Fushimi Inari shrine worth is nearby and a visit - but get there early. Open 24hrs a day!
Written October 3, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
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